MAN UNITED 7-0 BARNSLEY: RED DEVILS RUN RIOT TO BOOK THEIR SPOT IN THE CARABAO CUP FOURTH ROUND AS MARCUS RASHFORD, ALEJANDRO GARNACHO AND CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN ALL NET BRACES IN THUMPING WIN OVER LEAGUE ONE MINNOWS

United book their spot in the Carabao Cup fourth round with a win over Barnsley
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It was only Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, but this was more like it from Manchester United. Erik ten Hag’s side played with a swagger and confidence that deserted them for so much of last season, even in games like these.

So they should. Even allowing for two free transfers and three homegrown players, United’s starting line-up against a team lying seventh in League One was worth over £300million, with a wealth of talent on the bench.

It was one of those nights that have been all too rare for Ten Hag. Nights when he could rotate his squad, throw in a couple debutants, and sit back and enjoy watching a team play to the sum of its parts.

Marcus Rashford, operating as a centre-forward here, looked energised by his first goal in six months at Southampton on Saturday and added another two. So did Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho who was practically unstoppable and got a couple of assists.

Antony, who Ten Hag said was chomping at the bit to make his first start of the season, made the most of his opportunity with a performance brimming with energy.

MATCH FACTS AND PLAYER RATINGS

MANCHESTER UNITED: (4-2-3-1) Bayindir 6.5; Dalot 6.5 (Mazraoui 63, 6), Maguire 7, Evans 6.5 (De Ligt 78, 6), Collyer 6.5; Casemiro 7, Ugarte 7 (Fernandes 62, 6); Antony 7, Eriksen 7.5, Garnacho 8 (Diallo 84); Rashford 7.5 (Zirkzee 63, 6)

Subs not used: Heaton (GK); Martinez, Mainoo, Wheatley

Goals: Rashford (16, 58), Antony (PEN 35), Garnacho (45+2, 49), Eriksen (81, 85)

Bookings: None

Coach: Erik ten Hag 7

BARNSLEY: (5-3-2) Slonina 5; Cotter 6.5 (Lofthouse 63, 6), De Gevigney 5, Roberts 4.5 (McCarthy 46, 6), Earl 5, O’Keeffe 5; Phillips 5, Connell 6, Yoganathan 5.5 (Craig 46, 6); Jalo 5.5 (Humphrys 46, 6), Watters (Cosgrove 56, 6)

Subs not used: Killip (GK); Russell, Benson, Marsh

Goals: None

Bookings: Slonina (34), Humphrys (72), O'Keeffe (90+3)

Coach: Darren Clarke 5

Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey) 7

Player of the Match: Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)

Venue: Old Trafford

When he was brought down by Barnsley goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina in the 34th minute, only one player was going to take the penalty and the Brazilian duly converted to effectively end the game as a contest.

Greater challenges lie ahead. It’s Crystal Palace on Saturday at Selhurst Park, where Ten Hag almost lost his job after a 4-0 battering in May, and that will be an altogether different game.

But for now, at least, it feels as though the United manager has steadied the ship after a choppy start to the season with back-to-back wins.

Ten Hag did as he promised and rotated his squad which meant full debuts for new £50.5million signing Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer who played at left-back.

Antony got the start he wanted and goalkeeper Altay Bayindir made a second appearance since moving to Old Trafford a year ago. Not that he had much to do.

Casemiro returned alongside Ugarte to captain a team that, on paper at least, looked more than capable of doing the job and so it proved.

United put down a marker early on with Collyer making the first of two heavy fouls on Barry Cotter and Casemiro fouling Luca Connell.

Ugarte flexed his muscles by upending Vimal Yoganathan, although there was a scare towards the end of the first half when a challenge from Connell left the Uruguayan needing treatment on a bruised right foot and bloodied knee.

By then United were well in control after Rashford showed brilliant control to take down Garnacho’s 40-yard pass, dummy his way past Marc Roberts and finish emphatically in the 16th minute.

It was Rashford’s pass for Antony that led to Slonina thinking he could race out of his goal and beat the Brazilian to the ball. He couldn’t. Down went Antony and up he got to score from the spot.

Rashford was involved in the third as well in added time at the end of the first half. He tried to wriggle through in the Barnsley box but Connell poked the ball away from him and Garnacho reacted faster than Roberts and Joshua Earl to poke home.

The young Argentina winger struck again within three minutes of the restart, racing onto Eriksen’s throughball to steer the fourth past Slonina.

Garnacho turned creator for Rashford again in the 58th minute, sliding the ball through for his teammate to fire his second of the game.

It was the cue for Ten Hag to summon four more internationals off the bench. Garnacho was denied the hat-trick his performance when he fired inches over, but Bruno Fernandes squared for Eriksen to score inside the near post and then set up the Dane for the seventh as well.

It’s by far the biggest win of Ten Hag’s time as United manager and one that will raise hopes he is moving in the right direction again – even though it was only Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

2024-09-17T21:08:41Z dg43tfdfdgfd